Implementing New Management Approaches in Human Service Organisations - Case Study Example

Implementing New Management Approaches in Human Service Organisations: Challenges and Opportunities Contents Mаnаgеmеnt оf Hеаlth Sеrviсеs 2 Introduction In the current environment, human service organisations have embraced new management approaches in their practices so as to enhance service delivery to clients. This trend has been necessitated by changes in the external business environment on one hand, and development of new management thought on the other. Although the adoption of management approaches and techniques such as strategic planning, lean management, teamwork and effective decision-making skills has been touted as having the potential to solve all the problems facing these organisations, the implementation of these approaches and skills has been hampered by a number of factors. Consequently, these approaches have had mixed results in their implementation and overall effectiveness in transforming the way human service organisations are managed in general. This paper examines the main factors which act as obstacles to the full implementation and effective use of these approaches in human service organizations. Considering the case of healthcare service organisations, this paper also gives recommendations on general approaches to management that can effectively enhance service delivery in these organisations. Challenges faced by human service organisations in implementing new management approaches According to Hasenfeld (2010, p. 7), human service organisations differ from other organisations in terms of the nature of their work which is centred on unique factors that include: the relationship between the worker and the client; the primacy of the institutional environment; a service technology that is completely indeterminate and finally, a highly emotional and gendered work. These differences arise from the fact that human service organisations are based primarily on serving people; hence their work involves a strong sense of morale considerations. Also, complexity, increased size and external control have presented current challenges to human service organisations (Lewis, Packard & Lewis 2011, p. 92). In order to respond to these challenges, many organisations have focused on adopting and implementing new approaches in their management systems. Approaches such as total quality management, strategic, management, the use of teams and general organisational reengineering have been implemented in various organisations. Whereas these approaches have yielded results in a number of health service organisations, their implementation in many organisations has been hampered by a number of obstacles. These are discussed in the sections that follow. Strategic management in human service organisations The use of strategic management has been in common use in human service organisations (Ginter, Duncan & Swayne 2013, p. 33; Steane 2007, p. 465; Truss 2010, p. 50). Its use has been limited to three common models (linear, adaptive and interpretive approaches), each of these models having salient features that determine their efficacy in different human service organisations (Truss 2010, p. 53). For instance, whereas a linear strategy is focused on sequential goals and actions in a stable organisational environment; an adaptive strategy is focused on achieving organisational change so as to assume a position that is aligned to the general environment in which the organisation operates (Steane 2007, p. 466). On the other hand, an interpretative strategy is entirely focused on establishing a norm or relationships for an organisation where individual organisations co-operate to achieve common goals in their operations (Truss 2010, p. 52). It is observed that several factors have contributed to the general trend of adopting strategic management as a way of handling the dynamic challenges that are common in the practice of human resource management within public sector organisations (Ginter, Duncan & Swayne 2013, p. 12). These include: government policies that directed the implementation of strategic management in the National Health Service (NHS) organisations, the attitude of senior management in the organisations that favoured the adoption of strategic management and finally, the process of devolving human resource management practices of the organisations (Steane 2007, p. 467). Although the practice of strategic management has been fronted as the solution to many management inefficiencies in human service organisations (Ginter, Duncan & Swayne 2013, p. 23), its implementation has always been made difficult by the existence of institutional and systemic inefficiencies, apathy and disorganisation. For instance, Truss (2010, p. 55), observes that the process of implementing strategic management in the practices of human resource functions within the NHS has been slowed down by three common problems: external constraints resulting from the practice of local governments interfering with the full implementation of strategic management within health service organisations; the effect of professional bodies which, in the process of offering selection, training, recruitment and career management services to their members, fail to facilitate adoption of strategic management; and situational factors which have contributed to interfering with the full implementation of strategic management within healthcare organisations. The effectiveness of teamwork in human service organisations It has been argued that the need for a teamwork approach in the practice of human service organisations such as healthcare lies in the assumption that teamwork presents scenarios in which different members with different expertise work together for effective decision making and results (Neugeboren & Slavin 2012, p. 264). Ideally, teamwork in healthcare entails a process where two or more professionals having complementary backgrounds and skills but sharing common service, get together to exercise concerted physical and mental effort in assessing, planning or evaluating service delivery to clients (Ezziane et al. 2012, p. 461). From this definition, it can be seen that teamwork in human service organisations shares three common characteristics as follows: a clear definition of the function and identity of the team; being concerned with the achievement of shared objectives and; generating different and independent roles for each of the members involved in the teams (Ezziane et al. 2012, p. 463). Adopting teamwork in human service organisations enhances client satisfaction, service delivery and general organisational performance (Drinka & Clark 2000, p. 23; Ezziane et al. 2012, p. 463; Opie 2000, p. 121). For instance, according to O’Leary et al (2012, cited by Ezziane et al. 2012, p. 465), using teamwork in healthcare organisations not only increases the occurrence of communication between nurses and physicians in the actual course of work but also allows feedback from different members of the team to be included in the decision-making processes. This leads to improved communication practices within the entire organisation. Despite the potential benefits of using teams in the operations of human service organisations, this approach has been slowed down by a number of challenges. According to Drinka and Clark (2000, p. 13), factors such as poor use of appropriate communication tools leading to fragmentation and lack of coordination between team members; the tendency of group members in healthcare organisations to succumb to the decisions made by the group for fear of voicing contrary opinion; poor use of safety awareness skills thus leading to accidents and poor management of high-risk situations and lastly, poor methods of resolving conflicts between team members, hinder full implementation and effective use of teamwork in human service organisations. These challenges create disharmony in teams, hence undermining the effectiveness of their use in healthcare organisations (Opie 2000, p. 123). Further, Neugeboren and Slavin (2012, p. 264), argue that the use of teamwork in human service organisations faces a number of challenges, top among them being disharmony within teams. It is suggested that the essence of teamwork lies in open democracy and communication (Ezziane et al. 2012, p. 463). However, it has been argued that the existence of status differences between different professionals who make up teams in human service organisations hampers the effectiveness of teamwork in these organisations (Neugeboren & Slavin 2012, p. 265). This is because such differences undermine the very principles of democracy and open communication which form the foundation of teamwork in human service organisations. Also, the effectiveness of teamwork in the management of human services is hampered by the nature of tasks for which a teamwork approach is required (Neugeboren & Slavin 2012, p. 266). It is argued that many tasks in human services organisations require complex problem solving skills to reach at a single correct solution (Drinka & Clark 2000, p. 34). The nature of such tasks requires a high level of communication and absence of any barriers to decision-making processes – attributes which are more often than not lacking in teams. Total quality management in human service organisations The concept of total quality management has gained prominence in human service organisations in the recent past (Cowling & Newman 2005, p. 26; Patel 2009, p. 2; Prior 2006, p. 283). Total quality management can be defined as an approach to management that involves everyone in an organisation and associated business processes being combined to produce products and services that meet the expectations and needs of customers (Draghici & Petcu 2010, p. 124). It represents a relationship between quality and productivity in which the two concepts are related by means of a positive rate of transformation (Prior 2006, p. 284), while at the same time focusing on three core aspects: infrastructure, practice and tools or techniques (Patel 2009, p. 2). Also, adoption of total quality management focuses on three key areas: empowerment of clients, advocacy for marginalised groups and emphasis on client strengths (Brody 2005, p. 16). Effective and quality services in a human service organisations take into account different parameters including the technical aspects of the services offered by the organisation, the level of satisfaction in personal care offered by the organisations, the comfort of hospitalised patients (in the case of healthcare organisations) and the use of commonly shared areas in the organisations (Prior 2006, p. 286). According to Cowling and Newman (2005, p. 25), these parameters fall under two broad categories: the functional performance of organisations, which includes aspects such as the level of responsiveness, courtesy and competence; and the technical aspect of organisations, which includes aspects such as accessibility, efficiency and technological capability. The application of total quality management in human service organisations has been characterised by a number of challenges. These challenges have been common in the way the different aspects of total quality management (leadership, focus on the customer, process approach, continuous improvement in service delivery and a factual approach to decision making) have been implemented in human service organisations. Draghici and Petcu (2010, p. 129) observe that many human service organisations have experienced difficulties in applying the principles of total quality management in their operations as a result of two factors: the conflicting role of political leadership in the management of such organisations on one hand and the role of community involvement in the management of public sector organisations on the other. Further, successful implementation of total quality management has been compromised by the inability of human resource departments in human service organisations to fully play their critical role in improving the quality of services offered by the organisations (Cowling & Newman 2005, p. 28). Human resource departments have failed to fully implement total quality management in human service organisations because they lack the skills required to manage change within the organisations as well as strategic management skills (Draghici & Petcu 2010, p. 131). Further, turf battles between middle-level managers as well as unclear total quality management goals in human service organisations act as barriers to a full implementation of total quality management in human service organisations (Cowling & Newman 2005, p. 29). Conclusion In conclusion, strategic management, lean management, organisational reengineering, the use of teams and total quality management have presented both opportunities and challenges in the management of human service organisations because of the complex nature of human service organisations and because of poor implementation. Regardless of this situation, these new skills and approaches to management are still necessary for enhancing service delivery and general organisational performance in human service organisations. With changes in the attitude of human resource departments within these organisations as well as increased support from sector-wide stakeholders, the obstacles to efficient implementation of these measures can be removed. This will enable human service organisations to adopt and effectively implement these new approaches to management. References Brody, R. (2005). Effectively managing human service organizations. London: Sage Publications. Cowling, A. & Newman, K. (2005). Banking on people: TQM, service quality and human resources. Personnel Review, 24 (7), 25 – 40. Draghici, M. & Petcu, A. J. (2010). TQM and Six Sigma: The role and impact on service organization. The Romanian Economic Journal, 13 (6), 123 – 137. Drinka, T. J. K. & Clark, P. G. (2000). Healthcare teamwork: Interdisciplinary practice and teaching. Westport: Greenwood Publishing. Ezziane, Z., Maruthappu, M., Gawn, L., Thompson, E. A., Athanasiou, T. & Warren, O. J. (2012). 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